Unisteer R&P Install Progress

Thanks so much for keeping us updated on the install. I kinda had a feeling the stock starter wasn't going to work but I would have never guessed that the stock manifold would not work. I would really like to know if shorty headers would work or not. I hope the rest of the install goes without any problems and you can give us some driving impressions.

 

I'll later update the first posting once I have more pertinent/concrete information to add.

Today was slow. Once the bolts were being removed from the PS pump, some leaks were noticed at the bottom of the water pump and timing cover. We decided to replace the gaskets so that chewed up a few hours.

As for the headers, some Hooker 6901s were on hand and decided to give it a try since I've seen the rare chance of them working with the column shifter on others cars. Wrong. So the install is on hold right now until the Doug Thorley shorties are here. I haven't ordered them yet since this was discovered today. I got a lot of pictures collected from other members here that I will print and bring back to the shop with me so we can go over the exit pipe angle to see how that will line up with the R&P placement.

There's a few more nicknacks here and there such as the bolting up of the new PS pump: it's bracket is bigger (the width between mounting plates) when it comes to mounting back against the water pump. We noticed that the model car in the pictures had an aftermarket pump installed and assumed the new PS bracket was molded to that. Some additional spacers will need to be added. *I'll get a picture of all this up next week.

Basically, it's a pretty simple system in theory. It's just taking some time.

 

Have to admit that I am eagerly anticipating the test drive and driving impressions, as I have also been very interested in this kit. Unisteer is only about an hour up the road from me, so if issues with the product arise, I can show up at their door.

I'm a little concerned after viewing a less than flattering experience someone posted on Youtube after installing a Unisteer R&P kit on an early Mustang.

 

So an update for this week...

I'm gonna need to change my muffler bearings and check the headlight fluid after this is done... a casual note to my column shift friends.. we're out of luck for this being just a 'bolt on' unit. There will be a lot of modifications to make this work.

I'm going to need to do a clean write-up on the main post when this is done.

It all started with the headers. So we know the stock manifolds don't work.
After checking with Shorty Headers, sure, they work by clearing the shift linkage but the collector at the bottom will come up close to where the stock manifolds exited and still get in the way of the knuckle of the R&P system.
** An after-thought I didn't think of until I was laying in bed and thoughts started swarming around... the collector had maybe a 1/2" before it could clear the R&P steering knuckle... I'm not a metallurgist or an exhaust pro, but maybe a section of the collector could have been cut off and an extension made with a dimple around the steering knuckle to clear it? I won't know this since we've already got the Hooker 6901's installed.


Right now a new shift-linkage between the transmission and steering column is being fabricated and adjusted to work. The car shifts but some adjustments are still needed before that's called 'good' and the project moves to removing the steering column itself.
So as the project stands, all old equipment has been removed, Hooker 6901 headers installed (that was some &*#%@ good times), mini starter installed, and the linkage is probably 75% done. I'll be sure to take pics of that at some point. A couple days are going to be taken off and resumed later in the week if not next week.

Until then, a couple additional pics are attached. Them headers sure are sexy underneath there....

 

Before I built my front steer Mustang II set up, I was adapting a rack from an Escort that originally mounted on the Escorts firewall. I was able to get the rack to clear the headers but one of the problems I encountered was having the rubber boots too close to the header tubes no matter how I moved it around. That was when I changed everything to MII and gave up on the Escort rack but I was beginning to look into some sort of Nomex boot. Don't know if that problem will come into play with your project or not

 

Well, it's almost there.
The rack is mounted, steering column modded, shift linkage almost done, and PS pump bolted down. Unisteer had sent two left-side tie rod ends in the package and I had overlooked this when auditing the boxed items; a new one is on the way for install next week.

 

Looking good!!

 

Lookin good! What are the tubes ur holding in the last pictures? It looks like that car is an orig AC car by the 3 row crank pulley?

 

Looks real nice - I didn't realize your headers would be so far back in the engine bay and completely away from the rack

 

That tube is the modified shift link between the transmission and column shift. The stock rod can't make the bend around the headers so it had to be modified. This one has been extended and bent to make the turns.
Yea, the car originally had AC. The mounting bracket for the compressor got removed during the power steering pump install but I plan to put it back on in the next few months as I work on re-installing the AC system.